Opposition to Dow-DuPont merger emerges among major farmer group

[Editor’s note: The National Farmer’s Union is the second largest general farm organization in the country. It represents more than 200,000 family farms and ranches across the United States.]

Following European Union approval of the proposed merger between Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co., National Farmers Union is calling on the Trump Administration to block the deal. The merger, if approved by the U.S. Justice Department, would create the largest biotechnology and seed firm in the U.S.

“The reduction in competition that would be wrought by a Dow-DuPont merger will result in less innovation, higher prices, and less choice for farmers,” said NFU President Roger Johnson in a letter to President Trump. “Given the damaging and lasting effects this merger will have on family farmers and rural America, we urge you to oppose this merger,” he said.

Johnson noted that the Dow-DuPont merger occurs amidst a massive wave of consolidation in the agricultural inputs sector. The combination of the two companies, coupled with the concurrently proposed mergers of Bayer-Monsanto and ChemChina-Syngenta, threatens to limit major players in the agrichemical and seed sectors to just four companies.

And that is bad news for farmers who rely on competitive pricing for their inputs.